really knows what that will be, it will de-
pend on how long. the Convention goes, how
wordy we are, the form of the transcript,
and other matters.
The journal, of course, would be a less
expensive proposition, but there again the
total amount of the journal is uncertain.
We have never had a journal for a consti-
tutional convention unlike the annual jour-
nals of the legislature where there is re-
curring experience which would give you
some reasonable estimate of the printing
costs. It may turn out that the figures for
printing are understated.
It is apparent that the major mistake in
the wisdom of hind sight was that perhaps
we should have asked for more money. Not
that we do not have enough if the budget is
adhered to as proposed by the officers and
recommended by your committee, not that
we do not have enough to continue the
convention in operation on a very efficient
basis, and giving everybody what they
really need to do the job, but due to the
fact that if we go the full 120 days, we
will not have a great deal left over for
the purpose of post-Convention expenses,
especially publicizing the work of the
Convention.
Originally when the legislature appropri-
ated the $2,000,000, it broke it down as
follows: $20,000 to wind up the work of
the Constitutional Convention Commission,
$750,000 as the state's contribution to the
localities for the cost of conducting the
special election on May 18, with the re-
mainder to be allocated to the operation of
the Convention. The thought being that this
is $1,230,000 left, with $230,000 left for
public information expenses at the end. But
if we go the full 120-day session, if the
budget we have presented to you is even
reasonably reliable, it is fairly clear there
will be very little, twenty-two or twenty-
three thousand dollars or so, left over to
use for public information purposes, which
would mean in that situation that the Gen-
eral Assembly of Maryland would have to
appropriate any additional funds that
might be required to distribute the pro-
posed Constitution and the commentary and
information about it to the voters of Mary-
land before they are asked to accept or
reject it.
The recommendation of your committee
is that the budget as presented to you
today be approved, but that this committee
be authorized by the Convention to review
the budget periodically in relation to the
expenditures being incurred to see if the
budget is being adhered to and to report |
back to you if, in its judgment, further
action of the Convention is required.
I think I had better read the recommen-
dation because of the mistyping in one
word, which is a critical word, last page,
six, last paragraph: "The committee recom-
mends that the Convention approve the
estimated budget attached to this report,
but that it authorize the Committee on
Rules, Credentials and Convention Budget
to periodically review operations under the
budget and, in the Committee's judgment,
to report to the Convention regarding ex-
penditures incurred." here it is, "or any
other matters affecting the budget of the
Convention."
THE SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT: Are
there any questions? The Chair recognizes
Delegate Della.
DELEGATE DELLA: Will the Chair
answer a question?
THE SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT: If
he can.
DELEGATE DELLA: Can you tell me
how much we have spent out of the
$2,000,000?
DELEGATE SCANLAN: I can tell you
as of October 23 with a slight allowance
made for the fact that we do not have
the delegates' salaries and per diem ex-
penses of that day, we have it for the 18th.
It looks like as of October 23rd, slightly
underestimated because we just have sal-
aries as of October 18, we have spent
$292,756 out of the $1,230,000 allotted for
the Convention. Remember, as I said, Sena-
tor, $750,000 has been allocated for the
conduct of the election and $20,000, 1 be-
lieve, to wind up the affairs of the Consti-
tutional Convention Commission.
DELEGATE DELLA: Are these esti-
mated figures you are giving me?
DELEGATE SCANLAN: No.
DELEGATE DELLA: Actual costs?
DELEGATE SCANLAN: These are fig-
ures supplied by the comptroller's office
and are reflected in the memorandum dis-
tributed by the secretary.
DELEGATE DELLA: Because you put
in here estimated $7,000 for monthly tele-
phone.
DELEGATE SCANLAN: Yes, but —
DELEGATE DELLA: Ordinarily, Mr.
Chairman, our telephone bill for the legis-
lative session is approximately $50,000. |
